When you exit the sphere, you discover a new tattoo on the palm of your hand: that of a seven-pointed star.
Smiling at the sight of a new tattoo, Torsten regarded it with a professional eye. Once satisfied that he had what he had come for, he went out in search of the Shoanti who had followed him. It would be best to return bearing the survival relics that he had uncovered and to do so with all haste. He didn’t want to find out what trouble might await them if he tarried.
As you head back to the glowing circle to ascend back to the surface, you sense life above you. It appears to be multiple creatures, all around the platform.
Torsten paused. Motioning to the three Shoanti to stop, he put down all that he was carrying. Making sure that his spells were all active, he prepared for what felt like an ambush.
"Multiple creatures are all around the platform. I only know that they are living. Whether people or animals, I expect trouble." He said, quietly, as he went to see what awaited him.
Cautiously ascending the platform, you see nothing. There's definitely someone here, though, so you remain on your guard.
Suddenly, a quartet of figures in familiar red armor attack!
Four versus one. Eight blades against a single unarmed and unarmored individual. It should have been over quickly, as it was impossible to avoid every attack. But Torsten did not need to. His skin was enchanted, making it as hard to penetrate as iron. Of all of the attacks, only one drew blood. Weathering the storm, he immediately pivoted into grabbing the assailant who had harmed him. His fingers closed with bone crunching force around the assassin’s arm. As his fingers closed, his hand danced with ice and acid, as well as a golden glow that only would harm those with darkness as inside. With sheer brute force he attempted to pull the man off balance, so that he could be knocked to the ground and stomped on.
He was not the kind of warrior who could clear a crowd easily. But he was tough enough to even the odds, one corpse at a time.
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Hearing combat ahead, Usawoti begins to run down the hallway, his soft shoanti boots making only slightly more noise than his robe of infinite twine did rubbing against the elven chain mail underneath. As he ran he slipped his right hand into his klar, hanging from a leather thong and drew his Earth breaker from it's frog on the back of his thick leather belt. Coming to the doorway of a small room he stops seeing four red armored figures attacking the dwarf he'd seen competing in the sredna with Krojun. Usawoti realized this was the dwarf Thousand Bones had sent him for. As he halted in the doorway, he used the Deathwatch Eyes to see what kind of condition the dwarf and his foes were in.
Then lifting his left fist, earth breaker in hand, he pointed into the room and spoke in Necril. "മരണ ഊർജ്ജം അയയ്ക്കുക, കുള്ളനെ രക്ഷിക്കുക" As the dark energy oozed from the ring, Usawoti turns his face towards the dwarf, his grey eyes shining, his aquiline nose casting a shadow over his thin lips. "Torsten Runeforger, Thousand Bones has sent me to you."
"Send death energy, save the dwarf"
In an advantageous position and well-coordinated, the assassins aren't going to go down easily. Nonetheless, Torsten's able to drop one - which promptly dissolves into red mist. As the remaining trio prepares to unleash another flurry of attacks, a Shoanti appears behind them and unleashes a wave of negative energy. The assassins promptly adjust their tactics to compensate.
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His thin lips forming a crooked smile as the red armored assassin turns and slashes at him with the odd serrated blades. Usawoti, shfting slightly to avoid the first and turns the second with the head of his silver hammer. "You should have never come to the Cinderlands."
Shifting his right foot forward, his right hand, encased in the Klar, high like a boxer's stance. Keeping the hammer low, he feints towards the assassin's groin. Shifting the silver head, attempting to smash it into their gut. While thrusting out with the Klar's blade at their face. Quickly stepping forward, swinging the huge hammer back and then at their shoulder while thrusting at the assassin's throat with the Klar.
His wounds healing, Torsten gave a quick look at the Shoanti who had come to his aid. Never before did he think that he would be so happy to see someone with skull face-paint. "Ach! I owe me thanks to Thousand Bones." He said. He was used to having gore on his hands and feet after such a brawl. Having an opponent dissolve was something new entirely. "And to ye!" He said, as an assassin lunged at him. The dwarf grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him forward towards what promised to be a messy end.
As you fight, the entire ruin shakes slightly, and the waters of the pool in the next room slosh and churn as if something large just shifted below the surface. A few seconds later, a massive tentacle emerges and begins to move around as if searching for the source of the noise.
Meanwhile, each of you defeats another assassin (both of which dissolve into red mist)[/ooc], but the final one refuses to give up.
Torsten was about to splatter the last assassin, but hesitated as the Shoanti proved to have a cooler head than he. With a grunt, he went to bring the man to the ground *without* causing fatal injuries. It was harder than it seemed, for he really wasn't used to doing so.
Torsten grabs the last assassin, holding him fast. He responds by dropping his strange blades, grabbing a dagger, and attempting to stab the dwarf.
The noise has attracted the attention of whatever creature lies in the water, however. More tentacles begin to emerge, and the closest attacks Torsten!
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Smirking at how quickly the dwarf was able to restrain the assassin, Usawoti realizes too late that it was all for naught. Seeing a second tentacle appear and attack Torsten, Usawoti lifts his fist, pointing the ring at the tentacle. Speaking the command in Necril "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ്" He spends some of his magical energy to make the blast more deadly.
Turning, back to Torsten, he shakes his head. "My apologize, we have awaken the guardian. I was hoping we could question the assassin, but we are out of time. Kill him or bring him along, either way we must leave or face the guardian."
”Foes who disintegrate don’t talk.” He grunted, as the muscular dwarf lifted the assassin up. ”But they make a good distraction!” He yelled as he *threw* the assassin at the awakened guardian. ”Lets go!” He yelled as he turned to run.
The tentacle attacking Torsten shivers as Usawoti's deathly energy assaults it, and it swiftly withdraws back into the pool. Torsten promptly hurls the already-wounded assassin in the same direction...
... where he's promptly grabbed by another tentacle and pulled into the water. A second or two later, red mist wafts to the surface and dissipates.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, you both make a frantic dash toward the exit.
”They.” Torsten said, pointing at the three Shoanti. ”Are with me. They carry relics that will be of help to their people, and I would see them come back safely. Are ye with me in this lad?” He said, turning to the warrior who had come to his aid.
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'So the dwarf is willing to risk his life for Krojun and his lackey's, Thousand Bones was right, he is honorable.' Looking from the dwarf to the surprised Sklar-Quah, Usawoti nods. "I am here to assist you, not to tell you what to do. So yes, I am with you."
Moving back towards the monster, he calls out to the shoanti warriors, "Move you Chuckwallas!" Turning towards the tentacles he calls on his magical ability again. "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ്" Spending more of his magical energy to make the blast more deadly.
Torsten gave a small smile, not knowing what “chuckwallas” meant but was able to guess that it wasn’t polite. With that, he took up a defensive stance…
10ft area around Torsten. He moves if needed to make contact. Damage is magic, cold iron, silver and good
As another tentacle heads toward one of Krojun's men, the two of you work in unison to keep it away. It flinches back in pain, giving the Shoanti an opportunity to make a hasty exit.
Once they were to safety, Torsten took a moment to look at the tattoo that had appeared on his hand. He...was not very pleased with it. His entire life was a quest to make his body into an artifact that would rival anything made by Torag's faithful. He wanted to prove to the world that inscribing tattoos on flesh was as valid a craft as to imbue their magic on stone or steel. Everything he did to his body was steeped in tradition. Even invoking their power was, in a way, a prayer to his God. But now he had a tattoo on his body that was not his own. It was a Shoanti tattoo, to be sure. A mark that he was one of them. Looking at it, he could tell that it had power within it, power to conjure...something. What it was, he was not sure. But it was flawed. Flawed in the sense that the the power would not last. It would be days, at most, before it vanished. Shoddy craftsmanship. And it was permanent. The very idea rankled him, for it was permanent.
He thought then, back to what Ril had said to him. He had made a tattoo which was the culmination of his skill. It slowed his aging to a standstill, effectively doubling the days that he had left within him, while at the same time protecting him from the infirmities that came with age. He combined it with another tattoo which served to constantly clean him of the dirt, grime, blood, sweat and gore which so often plagued him. She had refused both, saying that her scars and her wrinkles made her what she was, and that she would not abandon them. Looking at the tattoo on his hand, he thought to himself that this tattoo was like that. It was a mark of what he had done with his life, a permanent reminder of the choices he had made and the bonds that he had forged. No, it was not from his hand that it was made, but it was from his actions. Was he losing sight of this in his quest for perfection?
Turning away from the introspection, he looked to Usawoti. "So, lad. What's your name? I know that Thousand Bones sent ye, and that ye be good to have around in a pinch, but naught besides."
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As they exited the ruins, Usawoti tucked his hammer back into the frog on his back as he searched the sky for is Raven. He had not expected Mope to stay too near the building, but he knew the horse would come when called. As he removed the Klar from his right hand, he looked to the dwarf, nodding as he asked his question. Hanging the Klar on his belt he answered. "I am Usawoti of the Skoan-Quah, student of Thousand Bones." He dusted off the rough robe he wore. Furrowing his brow. "My Master seeks to test my mettle in the crucible, by sending me to aid you in the Chelish city Korvosa." As he says the word 'chelish' his face twists as if he'd bitten something sour.
Turning away, he tilts his head back, putting his lower lip behind his upper teeth and whistles loudly. Quickly reaching into his magical pack and drawing out a hackamore bridle, as a horse whinnies from around the building. Soon a smallish black and white paint trots around the building. Usawati smiles as the horse approaches, nodding towards the animal he tells Torsten, "And this is Mope."
As you journey towards the center of the Cinderlands, you're intercepted by a half-dozen patrolling burn riders. Hearing that you seek to attempt the Trial of the Totem, they laugh heartily but quickly grow serious at a glare from Krojun. They escort you to Flameford, home of the Sklar-Quah.
Flameford is nestled in the middle of a field of spikes at the edge of an 80ft-high cliff. This makes the encampment highly defensible, as those who don't follow the unmarked zigzagging paths through the spikes will quickly be cut to ribbons. As you're led through the field, the entire camp of approximately 50 Shoanti watch silently. When you're finally through, you're led to the central War Council Fire where the chieftain awaits.
"Why have you dared enter our lands?"
Torsten raised his hand, showing the mark of the thrallkeeper. ”Looking to kill the Queen of Korovosa. She’s been turned into a monster by something called the Midnights Teeth, and I’ve come to the Shoanti for knowledge. I’ve got me mark and I be ready for this test.”
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Hearing the burn riders laugh, Usawoti is about to say something when he, along with the riders, notices Krojun's glare. Nodding at the warrior, he continues along with the brave dwarf.
As they come to the zigzagging paths, he considers dismounting Mop outside the spikes, but decides that the stallion would be safe in the camp. Dismounting at the edge of the circle he leads the horse further in, raising an eyebrow at the chieftains bluntness, until he remembers that Thousand Bones viewpoint is shared by very few.
As Torsten shows the mark to the chieftain and explains his purpose, Usawoti clears his throat, stepping forward slightly, he speaks. "He has come under Thousand Bones direction. I will be joining him." He looks around at the warriors sitting around the fire. "His fight is my fight."
At your request, the gathered Shoanti fall remarkably silent. After a long moment, the Sun Shaman places a hand on the chieftain's shoulder and indicates wordlessly that they should retreat to the Sun Shaman's tent to speak in private. "Wait here."
Quiet tension looms while you wait. Krojun quietly explains that if your request is rejected, you'll be disemboweled for trespassing on Sklar-Quah land.
An hour later, the shaman and chieftain return to the fire. "What are your names?"
The Sun Shaman repeats your names in sequence. His next words startle the gathered Shoanti. "You can sleep in the guest yurt. The trial will commence at dawn tomorrow."
Torsten listened in silence, introducing himself with his name only, as he felt that he had spoken enough. His heart was warmed by Usawoti's announcement. The man's dedication to his duty was commendable. When he heard that failure would mean being disemboweled, he unconsciously clentched his fists. If they thought that he would go quietly, then they were mistaken. With a darkening mood, he wondered if Ril was alright. If it turned out that she had been murdered, then there would be hell to pay. When told that he could rest at the guest yurt, he nodded. He was glad to have his ring, so that he would only need two hours of sleep. If they decided to come for him in his sleep to kill him, then they would be in for a fatal surprise.
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As Krojun explained what would happen if they were rejected, Usawoti looked towards the dwarf but said nothing. As they waited for the shaman and chieftain, he casually inspected the men and women on his side of the camp, determining who would die first. Mentally shaking his head at the waste of saving the four Sklar-Quah to kill them here in their own camp. When the shaman and chieftain returned to the fire, he realized his plans would be for naught. If they were not excepted, the chief and shaman would die first.
When asked what their names were, Usawoti waited until Torsten spoke his first. Wanting to make sure they knew what might happen if he was attacked, he included more information than Torsten had. "I am Usawoti, of the Skoan-Quah a Bone Caster by training and pupil of Thousand Bones."
As the Shaman repeated their names, Usawoti looked towards the dwarf again, ready to strike. Mildly surprised as the Shaman offered the guest yurt, Usawoti turned and took the hackamore bridle off of Mope; gently telling him to wait outside the camp. As the stallion followed the zig-zag trail back the way they came, he followed Torsten into the yurt.
Entering the yurt he turned and closed the leather opening, gesturing towards one of the beds, "Dwarf Torsten, you should rest, I have a ring that permits me to go with little sleep and no food, I will keep watch."
"Aye, I'll rest first. Like ye, I've got such a ring." Torsten said, raising a hand. "Though I don't like having to rely on an object. Been thinking of a way to make it into a tattoo. Mayhaps improve on it." He mused. "Even having to sleep for a handful of hours is a weakness I'd just as well do without." He shook his head and gave a small smile. "But here I am, rambling away. Ye have me thanks. For the watch, and for standing up with me back there." He said.
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As Torsten explains about the ring, Usawoti gives a light smile about 'Relying' on an object. He understood not wanting to become dependent on such things. He had taken the ring off of one of the men who killed his wife and son. He hadn't known at the time that it was magical. But it did explain why the man had been able to avoid him for so long.
As Torsten thanked him for his stance, Usawoti paused. He wasn't sure how to respond. One doesn't look at a grateful person and tell them your actions had nothing to do with them. Instead, he nodded, and spoke a different truth as he sat down beside the entrance. "I've never cared for the Sklar-Quah and Krojun is too arrogant for his own good. I'm glad he and his warriors are in our debt."
Torsten nodded, feeling that there were politics at play here. Still, he was grateful for the help, regardless of why it was offered. The fact that it was being given so whole heartedly was one of the few positive developments thus far.
About an hour before down, the Sun Shaman approaches your yurt and asks you to follow him. Along with a trio of thundercallers, you're silently escorted on a 20 minute walk east to a site known as Bolt Rock. At the base of this plateau, you find two 10ft-tall clay pylons decorated with numerous carved sigils. The lower portion of each totem is rounded.
"Once the sun rises, you'll have one hour to carry your totems up to the lower tier of Bolt Rock and erect them in the depressions there. You must then keep the them upright until the next sunrise, when you must move them up to the highest mesa and keep them upright for an additional day. When the sun rises on the third day, if your totem remains standing, you'll be granted Sklar-Quah citizenship. If your totem falls and breaks, you fail."
Relieved that he wouldn’t be fighting to a certain death, Torsten nodded and without a word went to the task. He squatted down, but his arms around the totem, and lifted it up. It was certainly heavy, but he could manage.
A combination of his ring, tattoos, and sheer stubbornness allowed him to brute force his way up the hill. While his clothes showed signs of dirt and sweat, his tattoos kept his body clean and dry, so by the time he got there he did not look worse for wear. Placing it down, he prepared himself for the task of staying awake. He was glad that they did not require him to remove his magical items, for it so the task would be much harder. With time to kill, he spent it thinking of how he could design a tattoo to rectify this reliance…
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Following the Shaman and the Thundercallers, Usawoti stops with the others at the base of the plateau. As the Shaman speaks Usawoti looks from the plateau to the pylons, to Torsten then back to the shaman. He wonders how 'Thousand Bones' talked him into this. He paused wondering which he wanted to do less; help the Chelish city of Korvosa or join the Sklar Quah tribe. His mentor had told him aiding the quest would honor his tribe and his 'own dead' but Usawoti could not fathom how. shaking his head, his thoughts return to the instructions in time to snort when the Shaman said, 'you fail.' Smirking at the shaman, he approaches the totem and waits for the sun to rise.
As the sun peaked over the plateau, Usawoti knelt by the totem, standing it up, then tipping it back onto his left shoulder. Holding it with his left arm, he kept his right out as a balance, and began to follow the dwarf to the lower tier of Bolt Rock. As they moved, Usawoti saw his raven circling overhead. As the bird descended Usawoti frowned realizing Inyoni was intent on landing on the backside of the totem. Shifting the totem slightly he growled at the large Rook. "Don't even think about it." Understanding his masters command the bird climbed into the air and circled overhead. Once they were at the lower tier and Usawoti dropped the totem into the depression, Inyoni descended and landed on top o the Totem, repeating Usawoti's words in a squawk. "Don't think about it" Chuckling at the bird's antics, Usawoti looked up and told the bird, "Don't poop on it either, I still have to carry it tomorrow."
The first day is long and hot. Your rings make the lack of water tolerable, but with nothing to do except keep the totems steady, staving off boredom becomes a challenge of its own.
Four hours into the trial, Usawoti receives a vision.
You see a crystal-clear pool of water has seeped into an empty totem depression. If you're quick, perhaps you can steal a drink before returning to your totem. As you bend down to drink, you see the face of a horned aurochs staring back at you from the water. After a moment, you realize that the aurochs is you, primal and proud.
Suddenly, you catch the scent of your natural enemies: the beasts with claws are nearby. Although you cannot see them, you sense they are moving in unison, seeking to surround you. Just as you're sure they're about to close in, the sun beams down upon you. A sudden realization: you're not the prey, but the protector of the Cinderlands. Your enemies begin to quail at your newfound strength as the vision ends.
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Standing holding the totem, Usawoti occasionally looks over at the dwarf to see how he's doing and occasionally looks up at Inyoni to make sure the bird doesn't do anything stupid. After some time, his mind began to wander, shaking his head, he reminded himself he needed to stay awake. His mind wandering again, he was seeing a crystal-clear pool, and he realized he wasn't asleep dreaming, but was having a vision.
Coming to himself he pondered what it all meant, the aurochs, the enemies, he newfound strength. Then looking back over at Torsten, he wondered what it had to do with the events in Korvosa that he was destined to become a part of.
The night is cold, but nothing that your magic can't handle. In the morning, it's time to carry your totems to the higher mesa. While you do so, Krojun comes to observe for a few minutes before departing without a word.
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Turning and looking at Krojun, Usawoti says nothing to the man. Only shaking the totem slightly to wake the raven, then slipping the totem to his shoulder as he lifts it to carry it further. Carrying the totem to the higher mesa, he drops it in the depression, then looks to the sky to see if Inyoni was following or if the raven had flown off to hunt.
Wordlessly Torsten moved on. He was no stranger to physical exertion, and rather than see this as being a burden but rather another way to become stronger, closer to perfection. And the quiet was useful, as it gave him uninterrupted time to contemplate his craft. Already ideas we’re taking shape. He saw no reason to see his current situation as being something to complain about.
It's late afternoon when you begin to hear the sounds of burrowing. Soon, you see fins protruding above the ash and gravel of the surrounding earth. That can only mean one thing: bulettes....
[/ooc]
"Aye? Do it then." Torsten said. He then turned to chanting, using his free hand to trace the outlines of runes in the air. As he did so, the corresponding tattoos on his body gently glowed as they were activated. Once done, he held one hand on his totem, and with his other prepared to lash out at the first creature that came within striking distance.
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Nodding at the Dwarfs response, Usawoti watches the creature's approach. As soon as they are at the outer limits of his magical limits, he lifts his left fist, pointing the ring at the lead Bulette. Telling the ring "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം, സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ്" He uses some of his innate magic to increase the damage of the destructive blast to attack the creature.